Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-07-01
FARM MANAGEMENT.
Planting Trees So as to Secure
the Largest Amount of the
Best Fuel,
More Attention Should Be Paid to Provid-
ing Cheap Food for Pigs in Summer.
Raising Trees for Fuel.


Farmers who pay out the least money
for supplies are ordinarily the ones who
succeed the best Prosperity largely
depends on keeping down the running
expenses of farm. The farmer whe
aas little to buy does not have occasion
20 sell much in order to supply himself
with the comforts of life. Farmers who
live in portion Of the country that is
'parsely settled generally buy and sell
20 great disadvantage. Nearly all
he products of their places, except live
stock, command low prices. and for
some of them there is no market. They
have generally poor facilities for keep
ing milk and making butter, and as a
consequence the latter is poor and sells
for less than half the price of that
made in croameries or in large and
we'll managed private dairies. They
get but little for poultry and eggs on
account of the expense of sending them
% city market. Generally they have
40 way OF disposing of potatoes, garden
vegetables, and small fruits II they raise
more than they need for their own use.
They must depend on the sale of corn,
small grain, wool, and meat for raising
money with which to purchase sup
plies.
A high price is charged for almost
everything farmer living remote
rom large town has to buy, and the
quantity of most of the goods is poor.
Wholesale grocers and tho dealers in
various classes OF manufactured artl-
lies keep grades OF goods for the city
.rade, and others which are greatly
nferior--for selling to country mer-
chants. Freights are high ON all
heavy articles sent long distances into
he country. Tho credit system large
y prevails there. and the times OF
payments are uncertain and irregular.
The country merchant is often accused
IF charging axtortionate prices, and
he difference between what he pays
or goods and what he sells then for is
certainly large, ''but taking one con-
sideration with another, his lot is not
4 happy one" Farmers who live In n
part Of the country that is not thickly
peopled can exercise economy to tho
best advantage by raising all the nee
essary supplies they possibly can on
their own places. BY adopting this
course they will avoid the constant
trouble of going to market. save the
profit made by dealers in buying and
selling goods, keep out of debt. and be
t,,IaaapIa.,t nf thn frahap and tha
money lender
No country in the world is better
supplied with fuel than this. We have
hard and soft COAL peat, and wood. The
price of soft coal in most parts OF the
west is low. Still, the amount the
average prairie farmer pays for this
inferior fuel in the course of year Is
large. If this is multiplied by tho
years in lifetime IL often represents q
sum of money equal TO the value OF the
farm on which the coal has been con-
sumed. There are few small farms on
which $50 worth of soft coal is not
burned in the course OF a year. The
coal bill for ten years is $500 and for
fifty years is $500. This money
might be saved, and many persons are
preparing to save it. Experiment has
demonstrated that ten acres of land
devoted to the production of trees will
keep small family supplied with feul
by the annual increase OF wood. Of
course the land is worth something for
the production of grass and cultivated
crops, but the trees. If planted in strips
on the north or west sides of farms,
will generally pay for the land they
occupy by affording protection from
wind or snow. They will also greatly
add to the value of the place by improv-
ing its appearance.
In producing tho most and the best
fuel, trees that naturally grow tall and
have but few side branches should be
selected, and they should be planted
quite closely. BY planting them near
together they will grow to trunk and
not to branches They will furnish the
best of cord wood, and the trunks will
be easy TO split, as they will contain
but very few knots. Large knots occur
at the base of large limbs or branches,
and are necessary for supporting them.
Open planting results in producing
trees with wide-spreading branches,
whose trunks are full OF large knots,
and which can only be split with great
difficulty. Close planting produces
tall trees with few spreading branches.
The knots in the trunks will be small.
as most OF the limbs will die and
drop off before they have at
tanned any considerable size. Ash.
maple, and cottonwood trees can be
planted four feet apart each way.
When large enough to furnish fuel half
of them can be cut out and burned. by
this process Of thinning room will be
obtained fol the remainder to grow in.
Tall trees containing but few knots are
easily prepared for fuel, and they are
serviceable for breaking the force OF
the wind.
Young trees obtained from a nursery
where the seed was planted in rows are
much better for setting out than those
found in o forest and which can be had
for the trouble Of digging them up and
moving them. It Is comparatively
easy to dig up young trees in a nurser.e.
as The ground has beeA under cultiva.
t!on. They are likely to be tall snd
,trsight, and they Will bear renewal